Traffic signal for automobiles



March 11 1924, 1,486,511?

- F. M. GRIETEN v TRAFFIC SIGNAL FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 14. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 1 March 11 1924.. 1,486,517

' .F. M. GRIETEN TRAFFIC SIGNAL FOR AUTOMOBILES Filed Dec. 14.. 1922 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ll, teas.

FREDEEECK Ill. F BALKTII'EQBE, 1

CHARLES T.

w ll

TRAFFIC SIGNAL AUTOMOBILES.

Application filed December 1 1, 1922.

To all whom it may comer-n.

Be it k own that l, FR onmcir M. GramrnN, a citi on of the United tates,residing at Baltimore city, (State of Maryland, have invented certainnew and useful Improvements in Traffic tlignals for .aiutomobiles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention aims to provide a simple means whereby characteristicsignals may be displaved automatically, when a vehicle is standingstill, when the vehicle is moving ahead at a constant speed, and whenthe vehicle slows down, the signals being operated by suitable meansconnected operatively with the engine of the vehicle. More specifically,the invention aims to provide a means whereby di'lferently coloredlights will be displayed at the rear of a vehicle, automatically, forthe purpose of keeping vehicle drivers who are in the rear, fullyadvised as to the intention of the driver of the vehicle whereon thesignal mechanism is displayed, relative to the way in which the car isto be operated, a steady red light being displayed when the car isstanding still, a green light appearing when the car is moving steadilyahead and a yellow light appearing so long as the car is being sloweddown.

It is within the province of the disclosure to improve generally and toenhance the utility of devices of that type to which the inventionappertains.

/Vith the above and other objects in view, which will appear as thedescription proceeds, the invention resides in the combination andarrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafterdescribed and claimed, it being understood that, within the scope ofwhat is claimed, changes in me precise embodiment of the invention showncan be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 shows in section, a deviceconstructed in accordance with the invention, parts appearing inelevation; Figure 2 is a section on the line 2-2 of Figure Figure 3 isan elevation showing a portion of the signal arm; Fi 'ure a is a sectionon the line l l of Figural; Figure 5 is a fragmental elevationdisclosing the clutch memhere on the driving and driven shafts; Figure 6is a section on the line 66 of Figure 1.

In carrying out the invention, there is Serial No. 606,849.

provided a casing or frame 1, adapted to be mounted on the rear end ofan automobile and provided in its rear end with an opening 19 bridged bya transparent lens 20 or like closure. socket 21 is mounted in thecasing 1 and carries an electric lamp 22, the conductor for which isdesignated at 23. A reflector 25 is mounted in the casing 1, in frontofthe lamp 22. The casin 1 has an internal arm provided with a V ide 61.

A drive shaft 2 anti-frictionally supported at 3 for rotation in thecasing 1, a clutch member l being secured at 5 to the shaft 2 and havingan annular flange 6 provided with notches 7 having cam edges 8. ii.bearing 9 is mounted in the casing 1, and therein, the reduced end 10 ofa driven shaft ll is received for rotation and for longitudinalmovement, the reduced end of the shaft delininga shoulder in the shaft.The shaft 11 is journaled in a hearing 12 supported at 1 1 on the casing1, the bearing serving also as thrust hearing, as will be explainedhereinafter. A washer 16 surrounds the red .ced end 10 of the shaft 11and abuts the shoulder 15, a washer 1'? being mounted on the end 10 ofthe shaft 11, in abutment with the rear end of the casi c 1. Acompression spring 13 surrounds the end 10 of the shaft 11 and abutsagainst the. washers 16 and 17, the spring tending to thrust the shattlongitudinally, to the left in Figure 1.

The numeral 20 designates a signal arm, mounted to swing on the drivenshaft 11, but. adapted to be coupled thereto, frictionally, by a meanswhich will. be explained hereinafter. The hub of the signal arm 26 issupplied with radial projections 41 and 4-2, which are spaced apartbot-h circumferentially of the hub and longitudinally thereof, as shownin Figure 3. The arm 26 may he provided at one corner with a weight 27.lhe signal arm 26 has openings 28, across which extend screens 29, and31, held on the arm in any suitable way, as indicated at 32. The screen29 preterably is red, the screen 30 being green, and the screen 31 beingyellow, although any desired combination of colors may be made. The arm26 is located between the lamp 22 and the lens or bulls-eye 20. A collar33 is lined to the shaft 11 against rotation with respect to the shaftand against movement longitudinally of the shaft. A collar 34 is splinedat 63 to the shaft 11 for rotation with-the shaft, but for a slightlongitudinal movement with respect to the shaft, antifriction balls 35being interposed between the collar 33 and the hub of the signal arm 26,between the hub of the signal arm and the collar 34, and between thecollar 3 1 and the thrust bearing 12.

A clutch member 36 is secured at 39 to the shaft 11 and extends withinthe flange 6 of the clutch member 4 on the shaft 2, the clutch member 38having projections or rollers 37, received in the notches 7 of theclutch member 1, as shown in Figure 5, and adapted to cooperate with thecam edges 8 of the notches. A fly wheel 38 is anti-frictionallysupported tor rotation on the shaft 11, as shown at 40, and carries aninternal ratchet 413. A disk 44 is secured to the shaft 11 and has camedges 15 defining shoulders 46. A disk 47 is rotatable on the shaft 11and is provided with an arcuate slot 1-8 receiving a pin or projection49 on the disk lt. The disk 4:7 is supplied with extensions 50 whereonpawls 51 are pivotally mounted, intermediate their ends, as shown at 52.At its outer end, each pawl 51 is adapted to coact with the internalratchet 43 on the fly wheel 38, each pawl being adapted, at its innerend, to coact with the cam edge 15 on the disk 1 1, and with theshoulder 4-5.

The disle41-7 has a rearwardly extended lug 53 provided with aprojection or roller 54. operating in an inclined slot- 55 fashioned ina collar 56 which is splined at 57 to the shaft 11 for rotationtherewith and for movement on the shaft,longitudinally thereof. Thecollar 56 is provided with a circumferential groove receiving a rolleror like projection 59 on a detent 60, in the form of a slide. mountedfor right line re ciprocation in the guide 61 which is carried bythe-arm 24 of the casing 1. At its rear end, the slide or detent has afinger 62, cooperating with the projections 11 and 41-2 on the hub ofthe signal arm 26.

Assuming that the shafts 2 and 11 are at rest, and that the vehicle isstanding still, the spring 18 moves the shaft 11 to the left in Figure1, and the hub of the signal arm 26 is not gripped between the collar onthe one hand, and the collar 34: and the thrust bearing 12 on the otherhand. Responding to the weight 2'7, and due to the shape of the signalarm 26, the arm swings on the shaft 11 to the depending position ofFigureQ. whereupon. the red screen 29 on the arm is interposed betweenthe lamp 22 and the lens 20, thus admonishing those at the rear of thevehicle that the vehicle is standing still.

When rotation is imparted to the shaft 2, from the engine of thevehicle, rotation is imparted to the'shaft 11 by the clutch mem hers4-36, the shaft 11 receiving a slight longitudinal movement, owing tothe cooperation between the projections 37 on the clutch member 36 ofthe shaft 11 and the cam edges 8 in the clutch member 4: of the shaft 2.lVhen the shaft 11 is moved endwise, as aforesaid, the hub of the signalarm 26 is bound between the fixed collar on the one hand, and the collar34c and the thrust bearing 12 on the other hand. The signal arm 26 nowis coupled frictionally with the shaft 11, to swing when the shaft isrotated, and the arm swings until the projection 42 on the arm engagesthe linger 62 on the detent or slide 60. The arm 26 then swings nolonger. responsive to the movement of the shaft 11. but remains fixed,the green screen 30 being interposed between the lamp 2?. and the lens20, to advise those at the rear of the vehicle that the vehicle ismoving ahead at a fixed or increasing speed. The pawls 51 are engaged attheir inner ends with the shoulders 16 on the disk 4-4 which is fixed tothe shaft 11, and at their outer ends, the pawls are engaged with theinternal ratchet 18 of the fly wheel 38, the wheel rotating with theshaft 11.

Suppose, however, that the vehicle slows down, the speed of rotation ofthe shafts 2 and 11 decreasing. Then the fly wheel 38 rotates for a timefaster than the shaft 11. hen the fly wheel 38 starts to rotateindependently of the shaft 11, the ratchet 13 and the pawl 51 cause thedisk 47 to rotate on the shaft 11., and when the disk is rotated, theprojection 54: on the lug 53 of the disk, cooperating with the inclinedslot 55 in the collar 56, moves the collar LO the right in vliigure 1,the slide or detent 60 moving to the right, since the roller orprojection 59 on the slide is engaged with the circun'iferential groove58 of the collar. The finger 62 on the slide 60 is moved out of the pathof the projection 42 on the hub of the signal arm 26, and into thepathof-the projection -11 on the hub of the arm. the arm swinging withthe shaft 11 until the projection 11 engages the finger 62. whereuponthe yellow screen 31 is disposed between the lamp 22 and the lens 20,persons at the rear of the vehicle thus being notified that the vehicleis slowing down. The inner end of each pawl 51 rides oif the cam edge 15of the disk 14-, and the outer ends of the pawls are. disengaged fromthe internal ratchet 4:3 of the fly wheel 38. The shaft 11 now rotatesindependently of the fly wheel 38, so long as the-shaft is operated at adecreasing speed. When, however, the speed of rotation of the shaft 2and of the shaft 11 is increased, due to the engine drive, relativerotation between the member 4A and the member 4:7 is brought about. Theinner ends of the pawls 51 cooperate with the inclined edges 45 of thedisk 44 and engage with the shoulders 16 of ill) the said disk, theouter ends of the pawls moving into engagement with the internal ratchet43 of the fly wheel 38, and the disk 47 being coupled by the pawls 51and the disk 44 to the shaft 11, to rotate therewith. When the disk 47is rotated, the projection 54 and the inclined slot 55 coact to move thecollar 56 to the left in Figure 1, the slide or detent 60 being moved tothe left and the finger 62 on the slide being moved out of contact withthe projection 41 on the hub of the signal arm, and into the path of theprojection 42 on the signal arm. The signal arm 26, being coupledfrictionally to the shaft 11, makes a partial rotation with the shaftuntil the projection 42 engages with the finger 62 of the detent 60,whereupon the green signal 30 again appears in alinement with the lamp22 and the lens 20, to show that the vehicle no longer is slowing down,but is working ahead at a fixed or increasing speed. When the shaft 11ceases to rotate, the parts are restored to the position of Figures 1and 2, the red screen 29 again appearing, to show that the vehicle hasbeen stopped.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. In a deviceof the class described, a shaft supported for rotation and forlongitudinal movement; means for rotating the shaft and for impartinglongitudinal movement thereto; a signal mounted for swinging movement;means for coupling the signal to the shaft frictionally, whenlongitudinal movement is imparted to the shaft; a movable detentcoacting with the signal to hold the signal in adjusted positions; a flywheel journaled on the shaft; a member rotatable on the shaft; means forconnecting said member operatively with the detent; and mechanism forconnecting the fly wheel to the shaft and to the rotatable member, saidmechanism being automatically releasable from the shaft and the flywheel when the speed of rotation of the fly wheel exceeds that of theshaft.

2. In a device of the class. described, a shaft supported for rotationand for longitudinal movement; means for rotating the shaft and forimparting longitudinal move ment thereto; a signal mounted to swing onthe shaft; a movably mounted detent, the detent and the signal havinginterengaging elements which coact to hold the si al in differentpositions; means operated by the longitudinal movement of the shaft forcoupling the signal frictionally to the shaft; :1 fly wheel ournal d onthe shaft; a member rotatable on the shaft; mechanism for coupling therotatable member to the fly wheel, the shaft being provided with meansfor engaging said mechanism to impart rotation to the fly wheel from theshaft, and being provided with means for releasing said mechanism fromthe fly wheel when the speed of rotation of the fly wheel exceeds thatof the shaft; and movable means on the shaft for operating the detent toshift the interengaging elements of the detent and the signal withrespect to each other, said movable means and the rotatable member beingprovided with parts which coact to operate said movable means when therotatable member turns with the fly wheel.

3. In a device of the class described, a driven shaft supported forrotation and for longitudinal movement; a drive shaft supported forrotation; clutch members on the shafts, the clutch members coacting toimpart rotation from the drive shaft to the driven shaft, and to impartlongitudinal movement to the driven shaft; a signal mounted to swing onthe driven shaft; a movably mounted detent, the detent and the signalhaving interengaging elements which coact to hold the signal indifferent positions; means operated by the longitudinal movement of thedriven shaft for coupling the signal frictionally to the driven shaft; afly wheel journaled on the driven shaft and provided with a ratchet; amem-' ber rotatable on the shaft; a pawl pivoted to said member andengaged with the ratchet. the driven shaft having a shoulder wherei withthe pawl engages to impart rotation to the fly wheel, the driven shafthaving an inclined portion which operates to disengage the pawl from theratchet when the speed of rotation of the fly wheel exceeds that of thedriven shaft; a collar splined to the driven shaft to rotate therewithand to slide therealong, the collar and the rotatable member havingparts which coact to impart longitudinal movement to the collar; andmeans for connecting the collar operatively with the detent to shift theinterengaging element of the detent and the signal with respect to eachother.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

FREDERICK M. GRIETEN,

